British History

Catherine de Medici in France, Elizabeth and Mary in England and Mary in Scotland ruled as their male counterparts had done before them.

Circumnavigation of the globe 1578 - 1580

• On 13 December 1577, Francis Drake, on board his ship the Pelican, left Plymouth on a voyage that would take him round the world.
• In August 1578, Drake passed through the Magellan Strait (the south of South America) and entered the Pacific Ocean.
• By June 1579, Drake had landed on the coast of modern California (which he claimed for England as 'New Albion').
• On 26 September 1580, the navigator returned to Plymouth in his ship, renamed as the Golden Hind.
• The following April, Drake was knighted by Elizabeth I on board ship.